Battle of AI and Change Management
As a change practitioner, I’m finding that old methodologies no longer fit in a world where much of the “human work”—learning, stakeholder interviews, and deep insights—now comes from bots. The challenge isn’t whether change practitioners are still needed, but how we leverage our talent and skills at today’s breakneck pace of change. While the old playbook feels outdated, a strategic approach can still help us navigate—and lead—through this disruption.
Here’s how the Fast Company article “AI Is Eating Change Management” (Ben Kalevitch & Ryan Heath, August 2025) speaks to the implications for solopreneurs — what shifts they should watch out for, and how they can turn disruption into advantage.
Core Ideas from the Article
Before diving into solopreneur impacts, here are the key observations made in the article:
The conventional “change management” model—with planned phases, slide decks, and adoption metrics—is becoming obsolete under the speed and complexity of AI-driven transformation. (Fast Company)
AI makes change nonlinear, unpredictable, and continuous, rather than a sequence of neat steps. (Fast Company)
Instead of imposing change, skilled organizations now let AI-driven insights organically shape the way forward (via behavioral analytics, feedback loops, nudges) (Fast Company)
The article warns that “consultants can either change—or go down with their ship,” implying that rigid consultative models are under existential threat in this new era. (Fast Company)
These observations suggest a shift from “manage change” to “be in continuous change” — a condition many solopreneurs already live in, but one that now becomes even more strategic.
What This Means for Solopreneurs
Here’s a breakdown of the main impacts and actionable takeaways for solo practitioners, freelancers, micro-businesses, and independent creators:
From episodic change to continuous adaptation
You can no longer wait for a “big pivot moment” — change is happening steadily and unpredictably.
Adopt a mindset of perpetual experimentation. Small, frequent iterations may beat large, infrequent launches.
Feedback-driven evolution over top-down design
Rather than building a perfect service and releasing it, you’ll need to let client behavior, AI insights, and usage data guide your evolution.
Use analytics, user feedback, micro-surveys, or usage logs to detect where your offering needs tweaking. Let clients “nudge” you toward improvements.
Custom, contextual solutions over one-size-fits-most
The article points out that AI “requires significant amounts of training and customization - rendering a ‘one-size-fits-most’ approach obsolete.” (Fast Company)
Position yourself as a specialist in customization. Tailor your services to niche needs, rather than offering broad generalist packages. Use a modular design so clients can mix & match.
The human side of change becomes more central (not less)
AI may automate some functions, but the stress, resistance, or fear it triggers in people is a human problem. (Fast Company)
Invest in communication, trust-building, empathy, and psychological safety with clients. Your ability to help clients through disruption becomes part of your value.
Agility becomes a differentiator
The article argues that competitive advantage will come from how seamlessly an organization rewrites its “source code” of people, process, and technology. (Fast Company)
As a solopreneur, you can more nimbly shift your offerings, test new tools, and abandon what doesn’t work—all with low overhead.
Consulting & change firms under threat → More space for independent experts
If large consultancies are challenged to evolve, there’s room for agile, boutique providers who can deliver on change in AI-driven contexts.
You can position yourself as a hands-on “change integrator” or coach in AI transitions, serving smaller organizations that larger firms can’t flexibly support.
Risk of overreliance on process at the expense of inspiration
Traditional change models lean too heavily on rational plans and communication, lacking spontaneity or emergent insight. (Fast Company)
Emphasize narrative, storytelling, surprise, and emergent client features rather than only structure and metrics.
Example Use Cases (Hypothetical)
AI Adoption Coach / Consultant: You help small businesses or startups integrate AI. Rather than doing a fixed “AI readiness audit → plan → deploy” process, you run a lightweight pilot, collect usage data and behavioral feedback, then iterate in real time based on what’s working — essentially acting as the “learning engine” for your clients.
Freelance Software + Tools Builder: You build micro-tools or automations (e.g., prompt templates, workflow bots). Instead of building a full product, you release MVPs quickly, watch how clients use them, then refine or discard modules based on usage analytics.
Creative / Content Solopreneur: Instead of crafting a full content strategy package and launching it all at once, you roll out a small experiment (e.g., a set of AI-augmented content pieces), observe which ones hit, and then expand. Use AI-powered analytics to adjust tone, style, or content mix.
About Charissa
Charissa Gant, Change Strategist with over 30 years of experience driving change for Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, a Principal Director at one of the largest consulting firms. Leading change with empathy. Unlocking leadership potential. Owner and Founder of BoldLEAP Collective, a community for courageous solopreneurs. Charissa@boldleapcollective.com